Hudson cosponsors bill that could ‘improve military family readiness’
A bill introduced to Congress in April could benefit military families, including those with special needs, one of the bill's cosponsors said.
House Resolution 6489 was introduced to the House on April 10 and referred to the House Committee on Armed Services the same day to "improve military family readiness."
If approved, it would be part of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2021.
Rep. Richard Hudson, whose congressional district includes Fort Bragg, is a sponsor of the bill, which was introduced by Reps. Mac Thornberry of Texas and Trent Kelly of Mississippi.
"As Fort Bragg's congressman, I understand that the strength of our warfighters depends on not only the training and resources we provide them, but also the support we provide to their families," Hudson said. "This legislation directly addresses many of the concerns I've heard from Fort Bragg families including reforms to strengthen family readiness initiatives such as the Exceptional Family Member Program, which provides access to health care and special needs education."
Fort Bragg's Exceptional Military Family Program helps families with special needs navigate through the Army, medical care or education systems, Amy Melendez, an EFMP coordinator at Fort Bragg, previously told The Fayetteville Observer.
The program also offers recreation opportunities, parent education and respite care, Melendez said.
A spokesman for Hudson's office said Fort Bragg is "one of only a handful" of installations that has an Exceptional Family Military Program.
That means it could restrict where service members with a special needs dependent are stationed, said Greg Steele, communications director for Hudson's office.
Hudson has heard from families re-enrolling at new posts that they are receiving varying services at different posts, Steele said.
The bill would create a standard and allow for a better continuity of services, he said.
The proposed bill would:
• Ensure a process for permanent change of orders to ensure continuity of services at new duty stations;
• Ensure health care is provided through TRICARE; and
• Ensure a standard for respite care benefits, including hours available through the benefit, across the Armed Services.
The bill continues to state that the Secretary of Defense would provide an Exceptional Family Military Program attorney, who specializes in education law, at each military installation.
In states where the secretary of defense determines there has been no historic support for Exceptional Family Military Program members, there would be an option to allow those families to continue receiving a housing allowance if the service member moves to a new permanent duty station, but the family does not.
The Exceptional Military Family Program is not the only provision in the bill.
"As a champion of opioid epidemic legislation, I am also proud this bill requires the Department of Defense to develop a policy to address opioid abuse," Hudson said.
If approved by Congress, it would require a policy and tracking procedure for opioids, including limiting prescribing of opioid dosages based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines.
The bill would also:
• Provide 24-hour child care to service members or Department of Defense employees who work on rotating shifts at military installations, while evaluating stipends to receive child care based on cost of living and the capacity of licensed civilian child care providers in the local market;
• Study Department of Defense Education Activity performance and curriculum benchmarks and whether the school district is achieving goals related to special education and family outreach; and
• Create a spouse employment pilot program with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency that would include a paid internship and on-the-job training for the national security field and federal government.